


beyond the reason why

by ellisaco



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-26
Updated: 2012-12-26
Packaged: 2017-11-22 11:46:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/609491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellisaco/pseuds/ellisaco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And of course, <i>of course</i> Nick would forget his birthday. This is what Louis gets for having expectations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	beyond the reason why

Louis is not ashamed to say that his birthday is his favourite day of the year. Even at twenty-one, he's borderline giddy as he silently counts down the minutes until midnight. He tells himself the fact that's he counting down alone this year doesn't matter. Nick had dropped off at the pathetic hour of half past ten ("God, Nick, you're so fucking ancient."), and Louis is sitting in bed, phone in hand, fucking around on twitter and copying the same text to Harry, Liam, Zayn, and Niall. 

**youd better still be awake in tminus 6 minutes or I'm disowning u**

The clock strikes twelve...and nothing too dramatic happens, except Louis' phone starts buzzing like mad and he turns it on silent so as not to wake Nick, because he's a considerate boyfriend, thank you very much. Louis is still exhausted from One Direction's almost literally non-stop promotion and performances of the last two months, and so he passes out somewhere in between Harry's text of 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE YOUUU XXXXXXX' and his mum's 'Happy birthday, Louis. I'm so proud of the man you've become'. Which, all in all, is a pretty good start to what he hopes will be an amazing day. 

 

Louis wakes up to an empty bed and, well, there goes the prospect of lazy morning birthday sex. Nick had better be making one hell of a fry up right now. Louis trudges downstairs, blinking against the harsh light of morning, and finds Nick at the table drinking coffee and reading the newspaper and decidedly not making Louis breakfast. 

Louis narrows his eyes. "What are you doing?"

Nick peers up over the newspaper and grins. "Well, good morning to you too, sweetums."

"You weren't in bed when I woke up." Louis says, because what the fuck is Nick playing at?

Nick just laughs, the bastard, and says, "I thought we were rather past that part of the relationship. Do I need to explain to you how you're my one and only?"

When Louis just glares, unimpressed, Nick gets up from the table and kisses him on the forehead (and no it's not sweet but condescending, because it's Nick and he doesn't know how to be sweet). "I have to go out. I think there's some cereal left in the pantry."

"You have to go out." Louis repeats tonelessly. 

"Yes," Nick says, seeming utterly amused, "some of us actually have a to _work_ for a living, poppet." 

And normally Louis would smack him upside the head for a comment like that but he's too busy gaping at Nick and wondering if this is actually his life right now. 

"You have work on -" and he was almost going to say it, but _he's_ not going to be the one to fucking remind him "- on Christmas eve?"

Nick just smiles (condescending again, fucking prick) and slips his jacket on, giving Louis a little wave and not even a fucking goodbye kiss. 

What in the actual fuck?

As soon as the door closes behind Nick, Louis pulls out his phone to text Harry. 

**Your hipster douchebag of a friend forgot my fucking birthday. this is ur fault for introducing us**

Harry texts back within a minute (at least _someone_ loves him). 

_Lou :(_

Louis frowns at his phone, because, okay, he did just blame Harry for Nick's shortcomings, but he expected a little more sympathy from Harry Styles of all people. Is the whole world just horribly off balance today or something? Louis really doesn't think it's too much to ask to have _one_ day that's centred around him. 

He heads back up to bed, because, really, it's way too early to be up anyways; especially for a shit show like this. Maybe he'll wake up with a new boyfriend. 

 

When Louis wakes up it's well past noon and he just laughs, because _of course_ he would sleep away half of his birthday. Fucking work and fucking jetlag and fucking Nick fucking Grimshaw. 

He checks his texts and he has a few offers to go out for lunch from his London friends that he hasn't seen in a while. And it's not exactly how he envisioned spending the day, but he's grateful for it, because otherwise he'd be spending his birthday on the couch watch _Friends_ reruns or something. 

Nick must still be out, because the flat is empty as Louis heads out. And he really wants to text Nick and see where he is, to know what the fuck could be so important today of all days, but the childish need to give Nick the silent treatment wins out. 

Louis slams the door behind him with enough force that something inside the flat drops to the floor with a satisfying smash. Vindictively, Louis hopes that it's Nick's signed picture of Dr. Dre. 

Lunch is good. It really has been a while since he saw properly hung out with anyone outside of the band or Nick. He leaves with promises to catch up again soon, hoping he's not so busy that he can't keep it. 

Louis opens the door to his flat and nearly jumps out of his skin when he sees Harry lounging casually at his table like he owns the place. 

"Haz?!" he says, his voice squeaking. 

Harry jumps up and almost knocks Louis over with the force of his hug. "Lou! Happy birthday!"

"What're you doing here?" Louis mumbles into the fabric of Harry's shirt. "Shouldn't you be in Chesire?"

"And miss my best mate's birthday? Not a chance!"

Louis feels perilously close to doing something ridiculous like tearing up, so he diverts his attention to something he knows Harry will be up for. "Well, let's go get spectacularly pissed, shall we?"

Harry grins widely. "Lou, I thought you'd never ask."

Harry calls them a cab and Louis doesn't even put up a fuss when Harry gives the driver an address without consulting him first; Harry has a notoriously bad habit of picking out the seediest clubs, but it feels like someone should be taking care of Louis tonight, so he just sits back and lays his head on Harry's shoulder, chastising him for not telling Louis that he was coming down. 

"Well, if I'd told you it wouldn't have been a surprise now would it?"

Louis just smiles and thanks God for friends like Harry Styles. They are a rare breed. 

They pull up to a club that Louis has never been to before and that actually looks pretty decent. Harry leads him inside with a hand on his back, and Louis is about to turn around and say he can walk by himself, thanks (he doesn't actually mind, just feels like being a dick), when he's assaulted by shouting from all around him. 

He blinks a few times, trying to get his bearings, reaching for Harry's arm. He takes a look around and sees...everyone; Niall and Zayn each nursing a pint, Liam sat at a stool at the bar, Stan just mingling amongst the melee, his mum and his sisters in a booth, smiling over at him, and in the midst of it all, Nick, looking like the smuggest fucking bastard that ever lived. And it's just - it's everyone he loves in one room, and it's all a little overwhelming. 

Nick is the first to come forward and hug him, give him a quick kiss on the lips. 

"Speechless, love? I should throw you surprise birthday parties more often if that's all it takes to shut you up." Nick says, smirking, and that snaps Louis out of his daze. He hits Nick squarely in the chest. 

"You're awful and I hate you." By which they both know he really means 'thank you for the party and I love you'. (But also a little bit the first part because he did let Louis believe that he forgot his birthday for the entire day.)

"Mm," Nick murmurs, leaning close to whisper in his ear, "I'm sure you'll make me pay for it later."

And, oh yeah, Louis definitely hates him.


End file.
